question bout masking

fisher57

New member
hello all. new to this site so far it seems really good. got a quick question. I have been painting for a long time now and have done some custom paint but now im getting into air brushing here is the problem. when i use a stencil made off of a plotter and once i do my air brushing why does the paint lift off when i pull my stencil off? is it my paint mixtureor could it be that im not letting it cure out? im soo going crazy trying to figure this out. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated thank you. fisher57
 

Brian Dee

Super Moderator
if you are using a vinyl stencil material. Just make sure it's whats known as paint mask. Sounds like your using vinyl sign material. which has a very agressive adhesive on it, and will definately pull paint off.
 
T

TAZ

Guest
I agree, we did a job one time that had very aggressive backing on it.
Turned out to be more of a 'decal' type mask instead of stencil material.
 

Maylar

New member
The sign guys call the stencil material "low tack", that's what you should look for. Also try to remove the stencil while the paint is still wet if possible. Once it dries to the stencil the edges are more likely to lift. I know that's often difficult especially with complex graphics.

But the biggest factor is how well the airbrushed paint adheres to the substrate. I usually put a light intercoat clear down and scuff it before taping. That makes a huge difference in how well the graphics stay put when the tape is removed.
 

hoss

New member
is the paint that's lifting off the paint you just sprayed w/ your airbrush or your underlying basecoat paint?
 

Vettra

New member
I just went through this. Ask for spray mask stencil. If going through US Cutter as for Oracal. With you need to make sure you burnish the stencil down really well. The adhesive can be a double edged sword as it releases well but sticks to your substrate not much more than static cling.
 

fisher57

New member
Thanks everyone for all the info i sure do appreciate it . the stencil is pulling my paint that was air brushed not the base. and the stencils i am having made are from a friend of mine who works at a sign shop and he does my stencils for me on their plotter, so maybe it is that the adhesive on the stencil is too agressive, the material is kinda like a thin vynal come to think of it it is pretty sticky. do you suppose that they at the sign shop may have material for their plotter that would be a low tack, or what other route should i take ?
Thanks again for all the help, i am lovin this site already Fisher57
 
T

TAZ

Guest
That's what it sounds like....
They 'should' have some material that is less sticky. I forget the material I use, but it's just right. I believe it's called Gerbermask
I used to buy from a stencils form a local sign company and it was not sticky enough.

Brian Dee, one of our members that replied to your post is very good with plotters/stencils, possibly he can have some input on the best to use.
 

Maylar

New member
If your friend works at a pro sign shop, he'd know what material to use. Unless he's using scraps for free, you probably already have the right stuff.

In my experience, pulling the paint off when you remove a stencil or taped line simply means that the paint isn't sticking to the substrate well enough. The last stencil work I did the paint came off because I'd only scuffed under it with 1200. Reworked it with 800 grit and got clean edges the next time. If that's not practical (don't want scratches under candy for instance), the last resort is to take an Xacto knife and scribe the paint at the edges before pulling the stencil.
 

Brian Dee

Super Moderator
Your local sign guy is probably using scraps to do your stencils for you. The material you want to use is a vinyl paint mask. Avery makes a good one. The adhesive is solvent proof and is of medium tack so it won't lift your paint work. One is white the other is yellow, the later is used for vehicles that have the paint baked. Same tack and adhesive though. Oracal is another one that seems to be quite popular to. This one is a greeny grey in color. I use the white avery and have never had an issue with it.Let us know how to get along with this. Hope this helps. Just make sure it's paint mask and not sign vinyl as the adhesive on this material will pull the hair out of a horse. Some of these sign vinyls are for outdoor use and will stand up to the outside elements for ten years.. Oh don't use shelf liner either, the adhesive is not solvent proof and you'll have a gooey mess on your hands.
 
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fisher57

New member
Thanks guys all this info should really get me going in the right direction, and i should not have any more issues with my artwork coming off with my masking. i will keep ya posted got a harley to do here like this week so fingers are crossed.
 

VisioN

New member
If your friend works at a pro sign shop, he'd know what material to use. Unless he's using scraps for free, you probably already have the right stuff.

In my experience, pulling the paint off when you remove a stencil or taped line simply means that the paint isn't sticking to the substrate well enough. The last stencil work I did the paint came off because I'd only scuffed under it with 1200. Reworked it with 800 grit and got clean edges the next time. If that's not practical (don't want scratches under candy for instance), the last resort is to take an Xacto knife and scribe the paint at the edges before pulling the stencil.

I also reckon you should be airbrushing on an 800 grit base. You didn't mention how you prep your base. Do you use a degreaser? What kind of paints are you using?
 
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